Nerve Conduction Study & EMG

- WHAT TO EXPECT

Nerve Conduction Studies and Electromyography (abbreviated as NCS/EMG), performed by two of our Neurologists, are useful to assess the function of a patient’s nerves and muscles. They are considered an ‘extension of the clinical examination’, and can be very helpful in localising exactly where a problem is within the nervous system. The neurologist uses small electrodes on the skin and small electrical impulses to assess nerve function and may proceed to place fine needles into the muscle to look further into nerve and muscle function if required.

Why do an EMG?

  • Find problems that damage muscle tissue, nerves, or the spots where nerves and muscles join. These problems may include a herniated disc, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or myasthenia gravis (MG).
  • Find the cause of weakness, paralysis, or muscle twitching. Problems in a muscle or the nerves going to a muscle can cause these symptoms. So can problems in the spinal cord or the area of the brain that controls a muscle. The EMG does not show brain or spinal cord diseases.

A nerve conduction study is done to:

  • Find damage to the peripheral nervous system. This includes all the nerves that lead away from the brain and spinal cord. It also includes the smaller nerves that branch out from those nerves. This test is often used to help find nerve problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome or Guillain-Barré syndrome.
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